FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan: Detainees

Bill Etherington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements are in place to ensure that UK resident citizens detained at Guantanamo Bay receive regular health checks; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: There are no longer any British nationals detained in Guantanamo Bay. However, we continue to raise humanitarian and human rights concerns about those other nationals detained at Guantanamo Bay with the US authorities, including issues relating to detainees who were formerly resident in the UK. In this context, we have recently been told that all detainees at Guantanamo Bay have regular access to medical professionals.

Afghanistan: Detainees

Bill Etherington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the US authorities on securing independent investigations into the allegations of torture and ill-treatment of UK citizens while detained at Guantanamo Bay; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We take all allegations of mistreatment of British nationals abroad very seriously and unreservedly condemn the use of torture.
	There are no longer any British nationals detained in Guantanamo Bay. However, we did pursue all credible allegations of abuse regarding those British detainees who were detained there and subsequently released in 2004 and 2005. We pressed the US to examine the allegations. We also raised concerns about issues including isolation, lack of access to daylight and lack of exercise with respect to the British detainees, and secured a number of improvements to their physical conditions of detention.

Arms Trade: Firearms

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to establish an international treaty to prohibit the sale of small arms.

Kim Howells: The Government are committed to leading work to secure a legally binding treaty to set standards for the international trade in conventional arms, including small arms. On 6 December 2006 we secured agreement to start a UN process to take forward this work, with the backing of 153 states. In March we submitted to the UN the United Kingdom's views on the initiative, making clear we envisage a treaty which will allow the responsible sale of small arms but will prohibit their sale in certain cases, including where they will be used in the commission of serious violations of international humanitarian or human rights law, or to provoke or exacerbate internal or regional conflict.

Commonwealth: International Conferences

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he expects the President of the host country for the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Kampala to exercise the prerogative to extend invitations outside designated member states; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The host of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM) may extend invitations to non-member states in consultation with the Commonwealth Secretary-General and on this basis the Government of Uganda has invited two members of the East Africa Community, Rwanda and Burundi, to the CHOGM in Kampala this November. The Commonwealth Secretary-General is responsible for extending invitations to other international organisations.

Departments: Advertising

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 14 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1216W, on Departments: advertising, what terms and conditions apply to membership of the Know Before You Go campaign and the granting of an entry and logo display on the list of the Department's campaign partners on its website.

Kim Howells: The following terms and conditions apply to becoming a member of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) Know Before You Go (KBYG) campaign and having an entry and logo display on the FCO website:
	www.fco.gov.uk/travel
	A potential partner is required to complete an 'information form' which the KBYG team uses to assess the applicant's suitability. The applicant is asked to provide details of the reach of the organisation and relevant customer base; their media spend, the number of communication channels they use and what is their association with one or more of a list of KBYG recognised high risk groups.
	If suitable, a potential partner is sent a Partner Framework and Agreement to sign which sets out the following requirements: promoting key messages of the campaign including FCO Travel Advice; encouraging travellers to get adequate and comprehensive travel insurance; informing travellers about preparations they need to make before travelling; informing travellers about the consular assistance they can and cannot receive once abroad.
	Furthermore, a partner will have the responsibility wherever possible to promote the campaign to its customers through its own communications initiatives and distribute marketing materials. The partner will also need to have a secure and established website or newsletter, which hosts the KBYG logo and link to the FCO website in a prominent position. We also expect where possible the partner to work together with other partners and the FCO on a strategic level to leverage the campaign and where appropriate offer feedback and case studies of campaign activity.
	We also request that the applicant operates in accordance with best practice guidelines or codes of conduct, as outlined by relevant industry bodies, trade associations or professional institutions. The terms and conditions make clear that being part of this campaign by no means entitles partners to claim that the FCO endorses their product or services in any way.
	Partners are expected not in any way to bring the campaign into disrepute and at the absolute discretion of the FCO partner status can be immediately withdrawn. In such instances the partner agrees to remove immediately all references to the KBYG campaign from its website and literature.
	Being a partner in the campaign does not give rise to any payment from the FCO, except where the FCO decides to co-sponsor specific communications activities with particularly relevant partners, for example, the co-funding of a guide to travel safety produced by "Lonely Planet" books and distributed free to younger independent travellers.

Diplomatic Service: Dismissal

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many foreign diplomats were asked to leave their posts by the Government in each of the last 10 years; what the reasons were for the request; and from which countries' embassies each was expelled.

Kim Howells: Information on the number of diplomats that have left their post as a result of a specific request by the Government could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, information held centrally indicates that, from the community of about 24,000 individuals entitled to diplomatic immunity, 28 foreign diplomats have been withdrawn from the UK in the last 10 years after some form of representation from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Details of the missions at which they served and the reasons for their withdrawals are as follows:
	 1997
	Kuwait—alleged serious criminal offence (assault/domestic violence)
	Belgium—alleged serious criminal offence (drink driving)
	 1998
	Morocco—alleged serious criminal offence (assault)
	Saudi Arabia—alleged serious criminal offence (drink driving)
	 1999
	Zimbabwe—alleged serious criminal offence (driving without insurance)
	Saudi Arabia—alleged serious criminal offence (drink driving)
	Italy—alleged serious criminal offence (shoplifting)
	Romania—alleged serious criminal offence (shoplifting)
	Other (disclosure of the details of this case may identify the individual)
	 2000
	South Africa—alleged serious criminal offence (indecent assault)
	Saudi Arabia—alleged serious criminal offence (drink driving)
	Cameroon—alleged serious criminal offence (driving without a licence/insurance)
	 2001
	Germany—alleged serious criminal offence (assault of a police officer)
	France—alleged serious criminal offence (assault/actual bodily harm)
	Belize—alleged serious criminal offence (assault/grievous bodily harm)
	Mongolia—alleged serious criminal offence (cigarette smuggling)
	Saudi Arabia—alleged serious criminal offence (possession of a class B drug with intent to supply)
	 2002
	Germany—alleged serious criminal offence (drink driving)
	Russia—alleged serious criminal offence (drink driving)
	Ukraine—alleged serious criminal offence (drink driving)
	Morocco—alleged serious criminal offence (rape)
	 2003
	Rwanda—alleged serious criminal offence (drink driving)
	 2004
	Saudi Arabia—alleged serious criminal offence (indecent assault)
	Saudi Arabia—alleged serious criminal offence (indecent assault on a child)
	 2005
	Saudi Arabia—alleged serious criminal offence (assault/domestic violence)
	Angola—alleged serious criminal offence (drink driving)
	 2006
	South Africa—alleged serious criminal offence (attempted robbery)
	South Africa—alleged serious criminal offence (robbery).

European Union: Constitutions

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he had with his Polish counterpart during the recent conference in Brussels to discuss the new EU constitutional treaty.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Member for Derby, South (Margaret Beckett), the former Foreign Secretary had discussions with counterparts from a number of EU partners during the European Council in Brussels, including the Polish Foreign Minister.

European Union: Treaties

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish a White Paper when the new European Union treaty is available, setting out side by side what the original constitution said and what the new treaty proposes.

Kim Howells: The Government will present to Parliament a White Paper setting out their approach to the Intergovernmental Conference.
	The White Paper will set out in detail the changes to be introduced by the proposed "reform treaty". Once published, copies of the White Paper will be available in the Library of the House.

India: Demonstrations

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on protests by Maoist rebels against the Indian Government in the districts of Bihar, Purlieu, Jharkhand and West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra; and what assessment he has made of the scale of those protests and numbers of fatalities.

Kim Howells: Our high commission in New Delhi and the deputy high commission in Kolkata regularly monitor the situation in respect of the Maoist (Naxal) protests in India.
	We are concerned about continuing reports in the media of violence and fatalities, but this remains an internal matter for the Indian Government. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described Naxalism as the 'single biggest' threat to the country's internal security.

Kashmir: Human Rights

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the United Kingdom will support the establishment of an independent commission of inquiry into violations of international human rights and humanitarian law by Indian security forces in Jammu and Kashmir; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We remain concerned about all reports of human rights abuses in Kashmir, including allegations of violations perpetrated by the Indian security forces and militant groups. We have welcomed Indian commitments to investigate and curb violations and will continue to call for an improvement in the human rights situation in Kashmir.

Saudi Arabia: Foreign Relations

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Saudi Arabian counterpart on the future of Anglo-Saudi relations.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Member for Derby, South (Margaret Beckett), the former Foreign Secretary met with His Royal Highness Prince Saud Al Faisal at the Lebanon Donor Conference in January and at the Iraq Compact Group in May. Their discussions concerned the continuing close UK/Saudi bilateral relationship, as well as other key regional issues.

Somalia: Peace Keeping Operations

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of India on that country's role in peacekeeping in Somalia.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Member for Derby, South (Margaret Beckett), the former Foreign Secretary did not made any representations to the Government of India on that country's role in peacekeeping in Somalia.

Vietnam: Oppression

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations she has made to the government of Vietnam on the persecution of Christians in that country, with particular reference to  (a) Nguyen Van Dai and Le Thi Cong Nhan,  (b) Father Thaddeus Nguyen Van Ly and  (c) the Hmong people; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We, along with our EU partners have made numerous representations to the Vietnamese government on the arrest and sentencing of Lawyers Nguyen Van Dai, Le Thi Cong Nhan and Father Nguyen Van Ly.
	Most recently, on 15 May, the EU issued a statement expressing its concern about the recent arrests and calling on the Vietnamese government to release all non-violent political activists who have exercised their rights to freedom of expression and association.
	My right hon. Friend the Member for Makerfield (Mr. McCartney), the then Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs raised human rights issues at a meeting with Vietnamese Vice Minister Le Cung Phung during the EU/Association of South East Asian Nations Foreign Ministers Meeting on 14 and 15 March and again with the Vietnamese Ambassador on 10 May.
	We continue to monitor the situation of ethnic minorities in Vietnam, including the Hmong people, through regular field missions. EU officials, including the UK, raise our concerns about religious freedoms and restrictions with the Vietnamese on a regular basis. Most recently during the EU/Vietnam human rights dialogue on 28 June.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Departments: Pay

Theresa May: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many bonuses were awarded to senior civil servants working at his Department and its agencies in each year between 1997 and 2006; and what the total cost of those bonuses was.

Edward Miliband: The number of senior civil servants in the Cabinet Office awarded bonuses and the total cost of these bonuses, since the bonus pot was introduced in 2002, are as follows:
	
		
			  Year  Number of bonuses  Total cost (£) 
			 2006 112 764,000 
			 2005 112 507,500 
			 2004 88 439,800 
			 2003 77 360,500 
			 2002 89 216,900 
		
	
	Bonuses were not awarded to senior civil servants prior to 2002.

Departments: Pay

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many non-pensionable bonuses were awarded to members of staff in his Office in the last three years; and at what total cost.

Edward Miliband: The number of civil servants (including senior civil servants) in the Cabinet Office awarded end of year bonuses and the total cost of these bonuses over the past three years are as follows:
	
		
			  Year  Number of staff  Total cost  (£) 
			 2006 809 1,608,000 
			 2005 867 1,402,000 
			 2004 838 1,225,802 
		
	
	There is also a small number of staff receiving in-year bonuses. The total cost is not held centrally and would only be available at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Training

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much his Department spent on away days located outside his Department's buildings in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Edward Miliband: It is not possible to readily identify from the Department's accounting system how much the Cabinet Office spent on away days located outside the Department's buildings. This information is available only at disproportionate cost.
	All Cabinet Office expenditure on away days is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in Government Accounting and other HM Treasury guidance.

Departments: Training

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much public expenditure was incurred by Directgov for paying to send staff to attend the Good Communication Awards on 30 May 2007 held at the Marriott Grosvenor Hotel, London.

Edward Miliband: Directgov were nominated for, and won, the Good Communications Mobile Technology Award 2007 and received a commendation for the Central Government Website of the Year Award. The only costs incurred by Directgov were for the purchase of two tickets for the awards at a cost of £50 per ticket (£100 in total).

Departments: Vacancies

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster for what reason the vacancies published on the Government Communication Network public website will no longer be advertised to the public.

Edward Miliband: The Government Communication Network (GCN) website (www.comms.gov.uk) is now a password-protected site for Government communicators and other civil servants. The new GCN site has been made into a more practical and interactive resource to support the professional development of Government communicators.
	All job vacancies which are open to the public are now advertised on the Civil Service Recruitment Gateway and through other public media such as newspapers and specialist magazines.

Official Residences: Deputy Prime Minister

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much the Cabinet Office received from the Deputy Prime Minister's Office for the official residence of the Deputy Prime Minister in Admiralty House  (a) in total and  (b) to cover the cost of (i) rent, (ii) security, (iii) utilities, (iv) facilities management and (v) general maintenance in 2006-07.

Edward Miliband: The Cabinet Office received a total of £173,000 from the Deputy Prime Minister's Office in 2006-07 in relation to the Deputy Prime Minister's official residence at Admiralty House.
	The operation of Admiralty House is covered by a single facilities management contract which covers maintenance, renovation, security and running costs. It is not possible, within the overall total, to separately identify the costs that arise from the three flats in Admiralty House. However, for internal accounting purposes the Deputy Prime Minister's Office meets 20.7 per cent. of the costs of the operation of the entire building. This is calculated on the basis of the floor area of the flat as a proportion of the total floor area of Admiralty House.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Freedom of Information

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what requests have been made to his Department under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000; and what the  (a) FOI case reference number,  (b) request summary,  (c) request outcome and  (d) reason for exemption was in each case where appropriate.

Douglas Alexander: Since 1 January 2005, DFID has received 589 Freedom of Information (FOI) requests covering a very broad range of subjects. Each case is logged and given a reference number. DFID is committed to openness and transparency in accordance with the spirit of the FOI Act, and the presumption is always in favour of disclosure unless exemptions are found to apply. For example, in 2006, 80 per cent. of FOI requests received by DFID were answered in full without the withholding of any information. Only in 7 per cent. of cases was information fully withheld under permissible exemptions, often after consultation with other Government Departments such as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence.
	To provide a summary of each of the 589 requests, the request outcome, and any exemptions used could be done only at disproportionate cost. Summary statistical information on the outcomes of FOI requests and exemptions used are reported by DFID to the Ministry of Justice every quarter and can be accessed on the Ministry of Justice website at:
	www.justice.gov.uk

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Mass Media

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answers of 24 April 2007,  Official Report, column 1013W, on armed forces: mass media, 2 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1665W, on service personnel: media and 8 May 2007, on detainees: Iran, and following the publication of the Fulton and Hall reports, whether he is now in a position to identify any instance of a second-hand account of military experiences being sold to the media by relatives of service personnel who have been refused permission to sell them directly.

Des Browne: holding answer 27 June  2007
	I have nothing further to add. It remains impossible for the MOD to determine whether relatives of service personnel have sold to the media second-hand accounts of their relative's military experiences. Any such transactions would be a private matter between the media organisation and the individuals concerned.

BAE Systems: Saudi Arabia

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contacts his Department has had with anti-corruption investigators from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in relation to defence orders with Saudi Arabia since January 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: No one in the Department has had any contact with anti-corruption investigators from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in relation to defence orders with Saudi Arabia since January 2006.

Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency: USA

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether there have been revisions of and amendments to the Memorandum of Understanding between the US Government European Command and the Ministry of Defence Police 1989; and if he will place a copy in the Library.

Des Browne: holding answer 29 June 2007
	To date, there has been no revision or amendment to the 1989 memorandum of understanding between the US Government European Command and the Ministry of Defence police.
	Negotiations are currently being held with the US authorities to review the policing and guarding services provided by the Ministry of Defence police.

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

Higher Education: Sanctions

Jane Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment he has made of the likely impact of a boycott of Israeli universities and academics by British universities, colleges and academics, as proposed by the Universities and Colleges Union, upon Jewish students studying in Britain.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 28 June 2007
	The Government fully support academic freedom and are firmly against any academic boycotts of Israel or Israeli academics. The Government have demonstrated their clear commitment to ensuring equality of opportunity in higher education and more broadly in British society. Universities as independent, autonomous bodies are responsible themselves for complying with legislation and fulfilling their statutory duties. Under the Race Relations Act 1976 (as amended by the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000) university governing bodies are also responsible for assessing the impact of their policies on student and staff of different racial groups.

Students: Complaints

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many students have brought complaints to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator in each month since it was established; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The following table shows the latest available information on the number of student complaints handled by the Office of the Independent Adjudicator Scheme, since its inception in 2004.
	
		
			  Month  Total per month  Cumulative total 
			  2004   
			 April 1 1 
			 May 2 3 
			 June 8 11 
			 July 7 18 
			 August 15 33 
			 September 12 45 
			 October 14 59 
			 November 20 79 
			 December 12 91 
			
			  2005   
			 January 14 105 
			 February 16 121 
			 March 24 145 
			 April 17 162 
			 May 26 188 
			 June 23 211 
			 July 23 234 
			 August 36 270 
			 September 30 300 
			 October 36 336 
			 November 70 406 
			 December 23 429 
			
			  2006   
			 January 45 474 
			 February 48 522 
			 March 65 587 
			 April 30 617 
			 May 30 647 
			 June 39 686 
			 July 28 714 
			 August 33 747 
			 September 32 779 
			 October 38 817 
			 November 32 849 
			 December 42 891 
			
			  2007   
			 January 73 964 
			 February 61 1025 
			 March 45 1070 
			 April 38 1108 
			 May 55 1163 
			 June 42 1205 
			  Source: Office of the Independent Adjudicator

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Modernisation

David Taylor: To ask the Leader of the House when she will bring forward plans to modernise further the House of Commons.

Harriet Harman: As I have indicated in my earlier response to the hon. Member for Cardiff, North (Julie Morgan) the Government are considering their response to the Modernisation Committee's recent report on "Revitalising the Chamber". We hope to bring forward specific proposals for the House's consideration as soon as reasonably possible. I remain open to representations on matters for reform.

Westminster Hall Debates

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Leader of the House if she will consider extending the amount of time allocated to Westminster Hall debates.

Harriet Harman: I have no plans to do so. The present sitting times for Westminster Hall were set in January 2005 to complement the revised sitting hours agreed at the same time for the main Chamber.

Front-Bench Speeches

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Leader of the House what assessment she has made of the effect on debates of the length of Front-Bench speeches.

Harriet Harman: I have made no such specific assessment. As the hon. Member is aware, the issue of Front-Bench speaking times was discussed in the recent report of the Modernisation Committee on "Revitalising the Chamber: the role of the back bench Member". The Committee recommended the extension to Front-Bench speeches of the power to impose speaking limits, with certain safeguards.

European Legislation: Scrutiny

William Cash: To ask the Leader of the House what steps she is taking to ensure effective scrutiny of European legislation; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: The Government are considering possible measures for the reform of the scrutiny of European legislation and hopes to bring forward proposals in due course.

TRANSPORT

Fast Link Trains

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 25 June to Question 145649, on fast link trains, what the anticipated frequency is of the one hour and 25 minute fast trains from St. Pancras to Ramsgate; and on what date this service is likely to commence.

Tom Harris: It is anticipated that the fast services from St. Pancras to Ramsgate will operate on a one train per hour frequency during the main part of the day, seven days a week. These services are scheduled to be introduced from 13 December 2009.

M1: Castle Donington

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will examine the feasibility of bringing the hard shoulder into use as a carriageway on the M1 motorway in the vicinity of junction 24 during large-scale events likely to lead to congestion at Donington Park circuit at Castle Donington; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: There are no plans to introduce hard shoulder running on the M1 motorway in the vicinity of Junction 24 at present.
	The Highways Agency is currently evaluating an active traffic management pilot project on a heavily used length of the M42 south east of Birmingham, which includes hard shoulder running. This became fully operational in September 2006 but it is too early to draw definite conclusions at this point.
	The Agency expects to produce an evaluation later this year and is continuing a thorough review of the strategic roads network to identify potential locations that might benefit.
	The majority of major events at the Donington Park Circuit take place at weekends when traffic flows are lighter. The Highways Agency liaises regularly with the management of Donington Park to plan for events. The Agency has received no reports of any significant traffic problems for this length of the M1 when events are taking place.

M1: Nottingham

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for how long the slip road at junction 25 of the M1 motorway towards Nottingham is likely to remain closed; what the reason is for the closure; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The A52 slip road at Junction 25 of the M1 motorway is closed while the A52 Bardill's improvement scheme is under construction.
	Forecasts from traffic flow figures show that if the slip road was left open there was a real risk of traffic forming queues from Bardill's roundabout back to Junction 25 and onto the M1 motorway. Therefore, for safety reasons, this slip road is to remain closed until the scheme is completed, which is scheduled for 11 August this year.

Motor Vehicles: Safety Measures

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will take steps to require new cars sold in the UK to be fitted with electronic stability control.

Rosie Winterton: As a member of the European Community we accept all cars constructed/approved to a scheme known as European Community whole vehicle type approval. Currently this does not include electronic stability control (ESC) and the UK could not mandate such fitment unilaterally. However, the Government appreciate the potential benefit of ESC and urges anyone buying a new car to give serious consideration to choosing one with ESC fitted.
	It is anticipated that the European Commission will bring forward proposals for mandating ESC for cars, once a technical specification and a test method for ESC systems have been agreed. The UK is contributing to the development of both.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Fire Services: Cambridge

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the deadline is for authorities to sign up to the proposed regional fire and rescue control centre to be located in Cambridge.

Hazel Blears: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 9 May 2007,  Official Report, column 205W, to the hon. Member for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell).

Ordnance Survey: Copyright

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the merits of requiring the Ordnance Survey to make licensable or copyright material available to schools and other public educational establishments free of charge; and if she will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 29 June 2007
	In its role as the national mapping agency of Great Britain, Ordnance Survey places great importance on supporting education and learning at all levels, and in responding to its unique position as the only organisation whose products are specifically identified for study within the national curricula.
	In addition to the well publicised "Free Maps for 11-Year-Olds" scheme, Ordnance Survey offers a wide range of other opportunities for schools and other public educational establishments to access its licensable and copyright material, much of it free of charge.
	Under the "Free Maps for 11-Year-Olds" initiative Ordnance Survey has provided over 3.8 million OS explorer maps free to primary seven pupils in Scotland and year seven pupils in rest of Great Britain through their schools, with a further distribution planned for autumn 2007. All 11-year-old pupils are eligible regardless of the school they attend.
	Ordnance Survey provides an educational copyright licence to any school, college or university wishing to copy Ordnance Survey paper mapping or use Ordnance Survey digital map data for educational, research or teaching purposes. The licence is available free to schools for students up to 16-years-old. In addition, individual students may obtain copies of extracts of in-copyright Ordnance Survey mapping from libraries under the terms of exceptions to the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, for their private study, research, criticism or review purposes.
	Digital map data are also freely available to LEA-funded schools from their parent local authority under the terms of the Local Authority Mapping Services Agreement. In order to ensure that LEA schools are technically able to access this data, Ordnance Survey has been working closely with the British Education Communications Technology Agency (Becta) to trial an on-line mechanism for the delivery of map data to schools and their suppliers. The 18 month 'MapPilot' project will report in summer 2008.
	To further support the educational use of geographic information within schools Ordnance Survey operates a specialist on-line service within its web site. 'MapZone' is an award-winning free resource for school use, available 24 x 7 for teachers and pupils. It contains all the map reading skills required within the national curricula. The latest mapping is also available free of charge to schools and pupils (and the public) through the Ordnance Survey on-line 'Get-a-Map' service from which extracts may be downloaded or printed for a wide range of personal or learning uses.
	Ordnance Survey supports teacher training by supplying all tutors of Post Graduate Certificate of Education geography courses across Great Britain with free OS Explorer and OS Landranger maps to aid with training of secondary school teachers. Through sponsorship arrangements with the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) and the teachers' professional body. The Geography Association (GA), Ordnance Survey also supports the provision of free geography teaching materials and teacher in service training (INSET).
	Further and higher education needs are served through a collective purchasing agreement between Ordnance Survey and the Higher Education Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC). A basket of Ordnance Survey digital mapping products is available for use for teaching and non-commercial research use within higher and further education establishments—each establishment pays a single annual subscription for all agreed use by staff and students.
	The value of providing further services for free is continually held under review. The Government published their response to an independent review by Ed Mayo and Tom Steinberg, "The Power of Information" on 25 June 2007. This made clear that Ordnance Survey will look very seriously at launching Open Space, a project which would allow non-commercial experimentation with mapping data.

JUSTICE

Community Legal Service: Wales

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions his Department has had with the Welsh Assembly Government on the establishment of a Community Legal Services Strategy for Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: In December 2006, the Legal Services Commission (LSC) and Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) issued a joint consultation paper; Making Rights a Reality in Wales. The consultation closed on 2 March 2007 and the responses have all been analysed. A response to the consultation will be published in late summer.

Departments: European Union

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many officials in his Department are  (a) involved in assisting European Council negotiations,  (b) involved in assisting and advising the European Commission,  (c) seconded to the European Commission,  (d) involved in monitoring EU decisions, communications, regulations and directives,  (e) involved in enforcing compliance with EU decisions, communications, regulations and directives and  (f) involved in other work related to the European Council, Commission or Court of Justice.

Bridget Prentice: Officials throughout the Ministry of Justice are involved in a full range of EU business. Those working specifically on EU business in the European and International Division total six. A breakdown of the figures as requested would incur disproportionate cost.

Departments: Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what percentage of  (a) his Department's and  (b) courts service staff in Newcastle-upon-Tyne are in each of the five new area related paybands; and how many are at, or above, the top of the new area related payband scales.

Bridget Prentice: All staff employed by Ministry of Justice from the former DCA (including HMCS and Tribunals Service staff) who are based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne have been allocated to the same pay range (within the five available pay ranges).
	302 members of staff are employed by HMCS and the Tribunals Service in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and of these, 13 are currently paid salaries at, or above, the top of the payband relevant to Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Of the 302, 216 members of staff are employed by HMCS, of whom four are paid at, or above, the top of the payband relevant to Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
	These arrangements do not apply to staff employed by the Home Office or its agencies prior who transferred to the Ministry of Justice on 9 May 2007.

Departments: Pay

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many bonuses were awarded to senior civil servants working at his Department and its agencies in each year between 1997 and 2006; and what the total cost of those bonuses was.

Bridget Prentice: The Ministry of Justice was created on 9 May 2007. The information provided relates to former DCA Senior Civil Service (SCS). It excludes those staff in the Tribunals Service and who joined former DCA on 1 April 2006 and those who joined the new Ministry from the Home Office for whom information is not currently available. As the SCS bonus scheme only came into being in 2002, information is provided from this point forward.
	
		
			   Staff receiving bonuses  Total amount awarded (£) 
			  Senior Civil Service bonuses received for staff on former DCA terms and conditions: 
			 2002 44 128,836 
			 2003 43 170,557 
			 2004 69 268,900 
			 2005 105 537,687 
			 2006 118 821,750

Electoral Register: Barnet

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the measures put in place by Barnet council to ensure the electoral register for Grahame Park, Colindale is properly compiled; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: The Department has not made an assessment of the measures put in place by Barnet council but I understand the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) has been conducting a canvass of properties in Grahame Park, Colindale in an effort to maintain an accurate register and to raise registration levels.
	Section 9 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 sets out the necessary steps that all EROs must take to maintain the register. These include sending the canvass form more than once to any address, conducting house to house enquiries and making contact by such means as appropriate.
	It is for the ERO to decide on the best steps to use in conjunction with their local knowledge to ensure that requirements for making contact with persons and maintaining the register are complied with.

Home Detention Curfews

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many convicted criminals were returned to prison for breaking home detention curfews in the last three years for which figures are available.

David Hanson: The number of prisoners recalled for breaching their HDC conditions were 1,470 in 2003, 1,710 in 2004 and 1,722 in 2005, the latest year for which published figures are available.
	These figures are taken from Table 10.7 of Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2005, a copy of which is in the House of Commons Library and which can also be found online at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/hosb1806section10.xls.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Magistrates: Wales

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the number of magistrates expected to be recruited for Welsh courts in financial year 2007-08.

Bridget Prentice: During the financial year 2007-08, it is expected that 82 magistrates will be recruited throughout Wales. This is based on predicted business need.

Magistrates: Wales

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the number of magistrates expected to leave the magistracy in Wales in financial year 2007-08.

Bridget Prentice: During the financial year 2007-08, 50 magistrates are due to retire throughout Wales. An unknown number of magistrates may leave due to other reasons such as illness, transfer etc.

Magistrates: Wales

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many magistrates are employed in courts in Wales.

Bridget Prentice: At the financial year ending 31 March 2007, there were 1,949 serving magistrates throughout Wales.

Prison Population: Wales

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many  (a) men and  (b) women are being held in (i) each prison and (ii) police cell accommodation in Wales;
	(2)  what the  (a) maximum and  (b) useable operational capacity is of each prison in Wales as at 19 June 2007.

David Hanson: The latest information available on prisoners held in accommodation in Wales, for the end of May 2007, is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Establishment  Male prisoners  Women prisoners  Totals 
			 Cardiff 753 0 753 
			 Pare 1,136 0 1,136 
			 Frescoed 162 0 162 
			 Swansea 422 0 422 
			 Usk 247 0 247 
			 Total 2,720 0 2,720 
		
	
	The reported prison population also includes prisoners on authorised absence from the prison.
	There are 28 places available in Wales under Operation Safeguard, which are used when there is a shortage of prison places. The use of Operation Safeguard in individual police force areas is held for use as management information only.
	The latest information available on Operational Capacity, for the end of May 2007, is provided in the following table.
	The maximum number of prisoners that an establishment can hold is the Operational Capacity. This is the total number of prisoners that an establishment can hold taking into account control, security and the proper operation of the planned regime. It is determined by senior operational managers on the basis of operational judgement and experience.
	
		
			  Establishment  Operational Capacity 
			 Cardiff 754 
			 Pare 1,126 
			 Frescoed 178 
			 Swansea 428 
			 Usk 250 
			 Total 2,736

Prisoners: Facilities

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what arrangements have been made for providing food to prisoners held in  (a) court cells and  (b) police cells since January 2006;
	(2)  what the  (a) total cost of providing food and  (b) the average cost per prisoner per meal has been for prisoners housed in (i) police cells and (ii) court cells since January 2006;
	(3)  what arrangements have been made for  (a) drug assessments and  (b) drug treatment and detoxification for prisoners housed in (i) police cells and (ii) court cells; and what the (A) total cost and (B) average cost per prisoner has been of providing these services since January 2006;
	(4)  what arrangements have been put in place to ensure that prisoners housed in  (a) police cells and  (b) court cells are (i) subject to necessary mental health and other medical assessments upon entry, (ii) adequately supervised throughout custody in such cells in accordance with the needs of any medical condition and (iii) provided with any necessary medical treatment; and what the cost has been of such arrangements since January 2006;
	(5)  what arrangements have been made to ensure that prisoners housed in  (a) police cells and  (b) court cells have adequate access to showers and other necessary hygiene facilities; and what has been the (i) total cost and (ii) average cost per prisoner per night of providing these services in such cells since January 2006.

David Hanson: All efforts are being made to avoid vulnerable prisoners being held in police or court cells. Prisoners previously held in prison accommodation will have been assessed on their reception for drugs treatment, detox and wider health needs. Invoices, including medical and food expenses are submitted in arrears. The total cost of food and average cost per prisoner per meal is not centrally available. Estimated costs, on average, are around £385 per place per night to hold a prisoner in a police cell, and around £300 for every place in a court cell.
	Under the terms of Operation Safeguard, police forces can be reimbursed by NOMS up to a ceiling of £12 for the costs of food for each prisoner over a 24-hour period.
	Responsibility for the care and lawful custody of prisoners held in police accommodation rests with the police. Medical care afforded to Safeguard prisoners is in accordance with PACE Code C s9.
	Prisoners have access to sanitary facilities within the custody area. Forces that provide cells under Operation Safeguard arrangements have shower facilities which are available for use. Every effort is made to ensure that prisoners are not held for more than one or two nights in succession.
	Evening meals and breakfast are available for prisoners held overnight in court cells. For one contractor, figures for prisoners' food per night are around £15 per prisoner.
	All prisoners held in court cells, whether or not previously held in custody, have a 'prisoner escort record' (PER) form, on which issues giving rise to concern are noted. Contractor staff and the on-site constables are able to take management action as appropriate, up to and including a hospital bed watch (where a minimum of two officers are to be present throughout the hospital stay). At each court a clinic is held each night by a qualified health care professional to identify and help address any health issues.
	Prisoners have access to sanitary facilities within the custody area. Showers are not generally available, but other than in wholly exceptional circumstances prisoners are only held in court cells for one night.

Prisoners: Transport

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1727W, on prisoners: transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that prisoners are not detained in prisoner transport vehicles when awaiting or following court hearings.

Jack Straw: The contractors responsible for the escort of prisoners are fully aware that vehicles are not to be used to hold prisoners either before or after their court appearance. The National Offender Management Service have to date received no reports of prisoners being held on vehicles because cells are not available in courts.

Prisoners: Young Offender Institutions

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 26 June 2007,  Official Report, column 2129W, on prisoners: young offender institutions, what the average  (a) male and  (b) female population was in young offender institutions in England and Wales in each year since 1997.

David Hanson: The average male and female population in Young Offender Institutions in England and Wales in each year from 1997 to 2005 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Average population in young offender institutions( 1) , by gender 
			   Male  Female  Total 
			 1997 7,556 278 7,834 
			 1998 8,172 333 8,505 
			 1999 8,012 332 8,344 
			 2000 8,070 369 8,439 
			 2001 8,175 390 8,565 
			 2002 8,320 459 8,779 
			 2003 8,025 399 8,424 
			 2004 7,928 366 8,294 
			 2005 7,883 360 8,243 
			 (1) Includes under-18s held in YOIs 
		
	
	The figures have been taken from web table 8.10 of the Home Office Statistical Bulletin: Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2005. This can be found at:
	http://www.homeoffice. gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/hosb1806section8.xls.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Separation: Children

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to introduce further mediation services for separating couples with children.

Bridget Prentice: We have established the Family Mediation helpline and supporting website; sponsored a public awareness campaign; and are facilitating judicial awareness seminars and supporting in-court referral schemes.
	Provisions of the Children and Adoption Act 2006 will enable the court to direct parties in child contact disputes to attend a meeting about mediation. Referrals will also be encouraged through changes to court rules and court forms, particularly in relation to disputes over children.
	Finally, the Legal Services Commission's revised Family Fee scheme will remove the financial disincentives for solicitors to make referrals to mediation. Under the scheme, it will be in the interests of the solicitor to make a referral to mediation and to do so, at an earlier stage.
	Therefore, the Government have no plans to introduce further mediation services but remain committed to encouraging greater use of existing provisions for family mediation.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Airguns

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what legislation controls the  (a) ownership and  (b) use of airguns; and if she will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 29 June 2007
	There is a range of controls in the Firearms Act 1968 and related statutes controlling the possession and use of airguns. For example, a person must be aged 17 or over before they can buy an airgun or receive one as a gift. Anyone under 17 must normally be supervised by an adult when in possession of an airgun. It is an offence to carry an airgun in public without reasonable excuse. Other offences include possession with intent to injure, possession with intent to cause fear of violence and trespass with an airgun. Persons sentenced to three years imprisonment or longer for any offence are prohibited for life from possessing an airgun, and those sentenced to three months or more are prohibited for five years. High powered airguns are subject to certification and some are prohibited.
	The Government are further strengthening the controls on airguns through measures contained in the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006. It will soon become an offence for businesses to sell airguns unless they register with the police as firearms dealers. To guard against under-age sales, transactions by dealers will have to be completed in person. The Act will also increase to 18, the age limit for buying and possessing an airgun and will make it an offence for anyone of any age to fire an airgun beyond the boundary of premises.

Antisocial Behaviour: Blackpool

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what antisocial behaviour initiatives her Department has funded in Blackpool since 1997.

Tony McNulty: In 2005-06, Blackpool received £238,639 revenue and £54,453 Safer Stronger Communities Fund grant from the Home Office. This included £25,000 for a local antisocial behaviour co-ordinator, to prioritise and drive forward action on local issues.
	Since 2006-07, Blackpool has received centrally pooled Safer Stronger Communities (SSC) funding from Communities and Local Government—£776,950 revenue and £1,027,031 capital in 2006-07; and £1,104,893 revenue and £1,199,033 capital in 2007-08. Through its Local Area Agreement, Blackpool has agreed to deliver a range of outcomes using this funding, including reductions in community perceptions of antisocial behaviour.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families has said that, as a Respect Area, Blackpool has been allocated funding of up to £50,000 to appoint an expert parenting practitioner to work closely with antisocial behaviour teams, £125,000 from the Department for Children, Schools and Families for parenting interventions and an additional pump priming fund of £15,000 to cover costs related to delivering of parenting support training. A further £215,000 over two years has been allocated to Blackpool by the Respect Task Force to establish a Family Intervention Project.
	Blackpool is also one of 20 Respect Areas which recently submitted proposals for 'Talking CCTV' as part of their wider campaign to tackle antisocial behaviour. Blackpool received £25,000 to set up and promote 'Talking CCTV'.

Asylum: Applications

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of claims for asylum were dealt with within the eight week target time period in each of the last 12 months.

Liam Byrne: Information on the timeliness of initial decisions is published quarterly and annually. Information up to March 2007 will be available on 21 August 2007 in the quarterly publication. Copies of these publications are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html

Asylum: Children

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases were referred to Ministers for review of the continued detention of children on immigration grounds beyond 28 days in each of the last three years; and in how many of those cases was detention not extended beyond 28 days.

Liam Byrne: The information requested on referrals is not centrally collated and could be provided only by examining individual cases at disproportionate cost.
	Quarterly snapshots are published in the quarterly asylum bulletin, showing the number of people detained under Immigration Act powers on the last Saturday of each quarter. Statistics on the total number of persons leaving detention each quarter are also published in the quarterly asylum bulletin.
	Published information on immigration and asylum is available on the Home Office's Research Development and Statistics web site at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

Asylum: Finance

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the section 9 pilot on removal of support to refused asylum seeker families was concluded; when the evaluation of the pilot was  (a) conducted and  (b) provided to Ministers; when she expects to publish the evaluation; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The section 9 implementation pilot concluded in December 2005.
	The evaluation of the pilot was conducted between January 2006 and June 2007. Ministers were presented with the findings of the evaluation in June 2007.
	A written ministerial statement was published on 25 June 2007,  Official Report, column 9WS.
	The evaluation of the section 9 pilot is available on the Border and Immigration Agency website.

Asylum: Housing

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people attending hearings before the Asylum Support Adjudicator were provided with overnight accommodation in each of the last three years.

Liam Byrne: Management information records the following numbers of people provided with overnight accommodation to attend hearings before the Asylum Support Adjudicators (now the Asylum Support Tribunal): 521 in 2005; 661 in 2006; and 350 in 2007 (January to May).

Asylum: Housing

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of complaints about poor accommodation provided under  (a) section 95 and  (b) section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 have been (i) made, (ii) investigated and (iii) upheld since its introduction.

Liam Byrne: The information requested in respect of complaints about s4 and s95 accommodation is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Asylum: Housing

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many accommodation providers under section  (a) 95 and  (b) 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 have been subjected to financial sanctions in each of the last three years.

Liam Byrne: 25 regional accommodation contracts for s4 and s95 have had financial sanctions applied since the award of new contracts in April 2006.
	Prior to the award of these new contracts financial sanctions were not applied. However, accommodation providers were expected to remedy any shortfalls identified or provide alternative accommodation.

Asylum: Iraq

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the criteria for considering applications for asylum from Iraqi citizens differ from those applying to other countries.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 29 June 2007
	The United Kingdom considers all asylum and human rights claims, including those from Iraqi nationals, on their individual merits in accordance with our obligations under the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) against the background of the latest available country information. How other countries handle asylum claims is a matter for those countries.

Automatic Number Plate Recognition

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the reliability of automatic number plate recognition technology.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 29 June 2007
	Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) is a well-established technology that allows vehicles observed by camera to have their vehicle registration mark 'read' using pattern recognition software.
	It is not possible to assess the reliability of ANPR technology as this information is not collated centrally. ANPR is operationally independent in each police force and is structured and maintained in a variety of ways. There is however, an established, collaborative working arrangement between police forces at the local, regional and national level that allows for the exchange of good practice.

Children: Romania

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions her Department has had with the Romanian National Agency for the Protection of Minors on unaccompanied Romany minors entering the United Kingdom.

Tony McNulty: Discussions have been held at a number of levels with the Romanian authorities about accompanied and unaccompanied Roma children from Romania who have entered the United Kingdom. These discussions are continuing.

Community Policing: Blackpool

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding was made available by her Department for neighbourhood policing initiatives in Blackpool in  (a) 1997,  (b) 2005 and  (c) 2007.

Tony McNulty: Before 2002-03, when the Home Office introduced funding specifically for police community support officers (PCSOs), the cost of funding any neighbourhood policing initiatives was met by police authorities from the general police grant and local resources. In November 2004, the Home Office launched the Neighbourhood Policing Fund and significantly increased investment in PCSOs and the wider aspects of neighbourhood policing. We have allocated the amounts shown in the following table to Lancashire constabulary. It is for the local police authority and the chief constable to determine the most appropriate distribution of resources to Blackpool and other parts of the force area.
	
		
			  Lancashire constabulary 
			   Specific funding for neighbourhood policing and police community support officers (£ million) 
			 2002-03 0.7 
			 2003-04 1.6 
			 2004-05 1.7 
			 2005-06 2.6 
			 2006-07 5.8 
			 2007-08 7.6

Community Policing: Blackpool

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans her Department has to provide further funding to Blackpool as part of the town's award of Respect Area status.

Tony McNulty: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families has said that, in return for securing Respect Area status, Blackpool has been allocated £125,000 for 2007-08 from the Department for Children, Schools and Families to help improve parenting programmes linked to tackling antisocial behaviour.

Convictions: Offensive Weapons

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions there have been under the  (a) Licensing Act 2003,  (b) Knives Act 1997 and  (c) Drugs Act 2005.

Tony McNulty: Data from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform for offences under the Licensing Act 2003 and the Knives Act 1997 are shown in the following tables.
	As offences of failing to attend drug assessments under the Drugs Act 2005 came into force late in 2005, there have been no offenders found guilty, up to the end of 2005. Data for 2006 will be available in the autumn of 2007.
	
		
			  Defendants found guilty of offences under the Knives Act 1997, England and Wales, 1997 to 2005( 1, 2) 
			   Number 
			 1997 1 
			 1998 2 
			 1999 — 
			 2000 2 
			 2001 — 
			 2002 3 
			 2003 — 
			 2004 1 
			 2005 1 
		
	
	
		
			  Defendants found guilty of offences under the Licensing Act 2003, England and Wales, 2005( 1, 2, 3) 
			   Number 
			 2005 25 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) The 2003 Licensing Act was not commenced until November 2005.

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the cost has been to public funds of keeping dogs held by the Metropolitan Police Service under the provisions of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991;
	(2)  how many dogs are being held by the Metropolitan Police Service under the provisions of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

Tony McNulty: The number of dogs held by the Metropolitan Police Service under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and the associated cost to public funds is an operational matter for the commissioner; such information is not collected by the Home Office.

Departments: Older Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of staff in her Department were over 60 years of age in each of the last three years.

Liam Byrne: The percentage of staff who were 60 years of age in each of the last three years is in the table.
	The Criminal Record Bureau has been unable to provide data. The information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
	Figures are taken from the Home Office personnel system called ADELPHI for 31 March for each year. They cover permanent and casual employees but exclude agency staff and contractors.
	It is possible that 31 March 2005 figure may be inflated by some staff whose employment status was in the process of being updated as data was transferred to ADELPHI from the preceding Home Office personnel system.
	The information has been derived from the Personnel Corporate Database and Oracle HRMS. These systems are subject to the marginal inaccuracies associated with any large-scale reporting systems.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   April 2004 to March 2005 (2005)  April 2005 to March 2006 (2006)  April 2006 to March 2007 (2007) 
			 Home Office and Border and Immigration Agency 4.19 2.03 2.3 
			 HMPS 3.50 3.70 4.70 
			 Identity and Passport Service 4.60 4.20 4.00

Domestic Service: Foreign Workers

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals her Department has made to change the rights to legal protection of domestic workers from overseas; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 25 June 2007,  Official Report, column 301W.

Driving Offences: Insurance

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many motorists in  (a) the area of North Wales police and  (b) England and Wales were wrongly identified as driving while uninsured as a result of information obtained from the Motor Insurers' Bureau Police Helpline in the last year for which figures are available.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 28 June 2007
	This information is not collected centrally.

Emergency Services: Radio

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has held on the implementation of tetra based trunk radio, with particular reference to the Airwave system; and if she will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Airwave—the national digital trunked radio communication system—will shortly complete its roll out in London, completing the UK roll out to all forces. Airwave is also rolling out to fire and ambulance services. The service is managed by the National Policing Improvement Agency on behalf of the police service.
	The Airwave contract is managed by the NPIA. The Minister has not held discussions on the implementation of Airwave or any other tetra based trunk radio communication system recently.

Entry Clearances: USA

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what grounds a refusal stamp for a visa application to live in the UK made by a US citizen can be removed from a person's passport.

Liam Byrne: A visa refusal stamp cannot be removed from an applicant's passport. In the event of a successful appeal against refusal, were an administrative error to be made or a subsequent application approved, a visa vignette inserted into the passport would supersede the refusal stamp.

Fraud: Cheques

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what recent estimate she has made of the incidence of  (a) cheque and  (b) plastic card fraud;
	(2)  what discussions she has had with the Attorney-General on the reporting of cheque and plastic card fraud;
	(3)  what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on cheque and plastic card fraud;
	(4)  what discussions she has had with the Financial Services Authority on cheque and plastic card fraud;
	(5)  what requirements or obligations banks and credit institutions are subject to to ensure that complaints of cheque and plastic card fraud reported to them are provided to the police for investigation;
	(6)  if she will conduct an assessment of the effectiveness of new arrangements for reporting cheque and plastic card fraud;
	(7)  what steps she has taken to ensure that victims of cheque and plastic card fraud know to whom to report these crimes;
	(8)  what guidance she has given to police forces on the handling and recording of reports of cheque and plastic card fraud by members of the public.

Tony McNulty: Cheque and plastic card fraud are not separately identifiable in Home Office crime statistics. For the year 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006 there were 87,860 cases of cheque and plastic card fraud recorded by the police. Figures for the year 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007 will be released on 19 July 2007.
	APACS (the UK Payment Association) records information on the financial losses resulting from plastic card fraud in the UK. The total losses reported by APACS in 2005 were £439.4 million.
	Prior to 1 April 2007, Home Office officials consulted with the Attorney General's Fraud Review Steering Group on 30 March 2006, where a presentation on proposed changes to the reporting and recording of cheque and plastic card fraud offences was made.
	The Fraud Review published on 24 July 2006 mentions proposed changes to the Home Office Counting Rules under paragraph 2.17 and states
	"Changes to the counting rules centre on rationalising responsibility for recording the crime and using statistics collated by APACS to supplement crime statistics".
	Under paragraph 2.18 it states
	"These changes to the fraud statistics, following on from the Fraud Bill, are welcome".
	Home Office officials have not held any direct discussions with Trade and Industry officials on changes to the reporting and recording of cheque and plastic card offences introduced on 1 April 2007.
	Prior to 1 April 2007, Home Office officials have discussed changes to the reporting of cheque and plastic card offences with APACS (UK Payments Association), ACPO (Association of Chief Police Officers) and Attorney General's Office officials.
	Home Office officials are integral members of the Economic Crime Portfolio Group which is chaired by the commissioner of the city of London police. The Commissioner is also the ACPO lead on all fraud matters. Home Office officials have made presentations to the group and kept them updated on the changes to reporting and recording of cheque and plastic card fraud by police introduced on 1 April 2007. The FSA are also represented at the ECP meetings, together with a range of other stakeholders in fraud.
	From 1 April 2007 each police force now has a single point of contact (SPOC) that has been set up to receive reports of cheque and plastic card crime direct from financial institutions. It is a matter for the financial institutions which crimes they decide to refer to the police for recording. It is then a matter for individual chief officers to decide which crimes will be investigated.
	The Home Office has been making greater use of APACS (UK Payments Association) figures to provide a better indication of the extent and trends in cheque and plastic card fraud.
	Home Office officials will remain engaged with the UK Payments Association (APACS) and the Association of Chief Police Officers to continually assess the effectiveness of new arrangements for reporting and recording of cheque and plastic card fraud introduced on 1 April 2007.
	Financial institutions now have a network of single points of contact within each police force where they can report cheque and plastic card fraud. Guidance issued to both police and financial institutions and contained within the Home Office Counting Rules for Recorded Crime, (which is a public document available online at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/countrules.html) states the following:
	The financial institution wishing to report fraud will give the case or cases to the force area based on the following set of principles. The principles are listed in order of priority and it is only when a principle cannot be achieved or is not known that the next principle will apply:
	1(st)—The police force area covering the location of the fraudulent operation.
	2(nd)—The police force area with the greatest number of individual usages.
	3(rd)—The police force area where the first offence was committed.
	4(th)—The police force area where the victim is located.
	The Rules make it clear that where the trader or account holder is the victim (i.e. they suffer the financial loss) they can report this to the police who have to record this as a crime and not refer them back to the financial institution. It is then a matter for the police to decide which force is responsible for recording this matter as a crime based on the above criteria.
	Where an account holder does contact the police to report this matter without having first spoken to their financial institution, a crime related incident will be recorded and the account holder will be referred to their financial institution.
	APACS put out a press release to this effect on 30 March 2007.
	A series of questions and answers for all police staff was circulated to all police forces in January 2007 on the changes to the reporting and recording arrangements for cheque and plastic card fraud offences. This additionally appeared in Police Review on 19 January 2007 as a two page article.
	In addition the Home Office Counting Rules for Recorded Crime contain more extensive details. This is a publicly available document available on the Home office website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/countrules.html.
	Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and individual forces have been fully consulted on these proposed changes throughout the course of 2006-07 through the National Crime Recording Steering Group and also its fraud sub-group.

Fullbright Fellowship in Police Studies Scheme

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1958W, on the Fullbright Fellowship in Police Studies scheme, what further steps she is taking to promote and enhance the skills of police officers and police staff in co-operation with other countries.

Tony McNulty: The Fulbright Fellowship is one of six programmes which the NPIA is responsible for that helps to promote and enhance the skills of police officers and staff. Additional programmes include an exchange with the John Jay College in New York, the French Gendarmerie Exchange in Paris, the Hong Kong Police, the Chevening Scholarships and the Australian Institute of Police Management.
	NPIA also hosts the European Police College (CEPOL) which has been developing a common curriculum for key areas of European policing. CEPOL provides around 100 training programmes across Europe which UK officers are encouraged through NPIA to access.

Fullbright Fellowship in Police Studies Scheme

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1958W, on the Fullbright Fellowship in Police Studies scheme, when she expects the National Policing Improvements Agency to ensure that a mechanism is put in place to assess the effectiveness of the scheme for both police officers and police staff.

Tony McNulty: Policy and practice in respect of the Fulbright Programme is now a matter for the NPIA. I understand from the NPIA chief executive that he will be arranging a meeting shortly with the executive director of the Fulbright Fellowship to discuss how the programme is operating and to help maximise its use among police officers and police staff.

Homicide: Wiltshire

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences recorded as homicide by sharp instrument were recorded by Wiltshire Constabulary in each year from 1997-98 to 2005-06.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Offences currently( 1)  recorded as homicide where apparent method of killing is 'sharp instrument'( 2) : Wiltshire police 1997-98 to 2005-06 
			  Year offence initially recorded( 3)  Number 
			 1997-98 2 
			 1998-99 0 
			 1999-2000 1 
			 2000-01 0 
			 2001-02 3 
			 2002-03 2 
			 2003-04 2 
			 2004-05 3 
			 2005-06 1 
			 (1) As at 9 October 2006; figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available. (2) Homicides involving any sharp instrument, including knives. (3) Offences are shown according to the year in which the police initially recorded the offence as homicide. This is not necessarily the year in which the incident took place or the year in which any court decision was made.

Insurance: Motor Vehicles

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the accuracy of information provided by the Motor Insurers' Bureau Police Helpline.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 28 June 2007
	The helpline has been in service since April. Its accuracy is the responsibility of the Motor Insurers' Bureau. The police make extensive use of insurance data made available through the bureau to tackle the serious problem of uninsured driving. The latest figures, to mid June, indicate that 94.4 per cent. of all appropriate records are provided to the Motor Insurance Database (MID) within seven days. This is in line with a target of 95 per cent. of all appropriate records being provided within seven days by 1 January 2008.

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelan activists in (a) London and  (b) the UK.

Tony McNulty: h old ing answer 28 June 2007
	The Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam (LTTE) is listed as proscribed as a terrorist organisation under the Terrorism Act 2000. It is a criminal offence for a person to belong to or encourage support for the LTTE in the UK. It is also a criminal offence to arrange a meeting in support of it or to wear clothing or to carry articles in public which arouse reasonable suspicion that a person is a member or supporter. The arrest and prosecution of offences under the Terrorism Act 2000 is a matter for the police and the Crown Prosecution Service respectively.

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on recent arrests of the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelan activists under counter terrorism legislation.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 28 June 2007
	 The arrest and prosecution of offences under the Terrorism Act 2000 is a matter for the Police and the Crown Prosecution Service respectively. It would not be appropriate for me to comment on such matters.

MI5: Official Secrets

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will declassify MI5 file series PF600, 439 to 610 and 109.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 29 June 2007
	The Security Service transfers records to the National Archive for public access in accordance both with the selection criteria recommended by the Lord Chancellor's Advisory Council on Public Records and with the Public Record Act 1958.
	Some records in the Service's Personal File (PF) series have already been transferred to the National Archive. Those that remain will be considered in due course.

Parliamentary Questions

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she will answer Question 115828, on indefinite leave to remain, tabled by the hon. Member for Hertsmere on 10 January 2007.

Liam Byrne: I replied to the hon. Member on 27 June 2007, O fficial Report column 769W.

Police: Horses

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the annual cost was in the last three years of each mounted police section.

Tony McNulty: The Government allocate funding to police authorities. The allocation of resources within each force is a matter for the chief officer and the police authority. We do not hold information centrally on resources for mounted police sections.

Police: Protective Clothing

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 21 June 2007,  Official Report, column 2078W, on Police: protective clothing, what guidelines her Department issues to chief officers of police on the selection, purchase and issue of body armour for on-duty police officers.

Tony McNulty: Decisions about the selection, purchase and issue of body armour are for chief officers of police. All officers should have access to a range of body armour, either on an individual or shared basis, dependant on their role. In reaching decisions about what protective equipment to issue, chief officers have the benefit of expert advice provided by the Home Office Scientific Development Branch (HOSDB) and the standards they produce. Body armour supplied to the vast majority of police officers in the UK now offers a dual protection level of knife and ballistic resistance as detailed in the HOSDB Standard.

Police: Safety Measures

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what risk assessment she has commissioned on the health and safety of police officers during a  (a) chemical,  (b) biological,  (c) radiological and  (d) nuclear incident.

Tony McNulty: Such risk assessments are an operational matter for the police and are not commissioned by the Home Office.

Police: Stun Guns

Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been  (a) injured and  (b) killed due to the firing of a stun gun by the police since April 2003; and during what type of operations.

Tony McNulty: There have been no deaths in the UK directly attributable to police use of Taser. There have been no injuries directly attributable to police use of Taser beyond the expected injury caused by Taser barbs penetrating or puncturing the skin on impact.
	Independent medical advice from the Defence Scientific Advisory Council's Sub-Committee on the Medical Implications of Less Lethal Weapons (DOMILL) examine all the available medical reports where Taser has been used and are content that the medical issues attributable directly or indirectly to Taser use are not unexpected and are addressed by their statements to Ministers. DOMILL has issued three statements on the medical implications of the use of the Taser. Its view is that the risk of death from primary injury with high power laser is low and certainly very much lower than that from conventional firearms.

Police: Stun Guns

Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions Taser stun guns have been used by each police force since April 2003; and in what type of operation they were used.

Tony McNulty: Taser is currently available to authorised firearms officers as a less lethal alternative for use in situations where a firearms authority has been granted in accordance with criteria laid down in the ACPO Manual of Guidance on Police Use of Firearms. Taser is deployed alongside conventional weapons providing the police with an additional tactical option that is less lethal than conventional firearms.
	Information on the occasions when Taser has been used is set out in the following tables.
	Since April 2003, there have been 619 incidents at which the device has been used operationally. This can be broken down as follows:
	
		
			  Uses of laser (at 31 December 2006, England and Wales) 
			   Number 
			 Drawn/aimed/application of projected red-dot 326 
			 Arced as a demonstration/warning 28 
			 Applied in drive-stun (direct contact) 26 
			 Fired (barb deployment) 239 
		
	
	
		
			  Use of laser by police force area (at 31 December 2006,  England and Wales) 
			  Force  Drawn/aimed/red-dot  Arced  Drive stunned  Fired  Total incidents when Taser used 
			 Avon and Somerset 1 1 0 3 5 
			 Bedfordshire 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Cambridgeshire 4 0 0 1 5 
			 Cheshire 2 1 0 3 6 
			 City of London 1 0 0 0 1 
			 Cleveland 7 0 0 10 17 
			 Cumbria 4 2 0 0 6 
			 Derbyshire 8 0 0 2 10 
			 Devon and Cornwall 0 0 0 2 2 
			 Dorset 17 2 2 8 29 
			 Durham 18 0 0 12 30 
			 Essex 4 0 1 4 9 
			 Gloucester 6 0 0 2 8 
			 Greater Manchester 2 0 1 6 9 
			 Guernsey 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Gwent 2 0 0 2 4 
			 Hampshire 0 0 0 8 8 
			 Hertfordshire 2 0 1 0 3 
			 Humberside 14 3 0 1 18 
			 Lancashire 9 0 0 4 13 
			 Leicestershire 0 2 0 0 2 
			 Lincolnshire(1) 11 3 1 6 21 
			 Kent 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Merseyside 15 1 1 1 18 
			 Metropolitan(1) 59 4 13 76 152 
			 Norfolk 1 0 1 2 4 
			 North Wales(1) 32 2 1 12 47 
			 Northants(1) 7 0 0 5 12 
			 Northumbria 33 0 0 3 36 
			 Nottinghamshire 0 0 0 2 2 
			 South Wales 0 0 0 1 1 
			 South Yorkshire 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Staffordshire 6 1 0 2 9 
			 Strathclyde 5 0 0 4 9 
			 Suffolk 0 0 0 5 5 
			 Surrey 0 1 0 0 1 
			 Sussex 1 0 0 3 4 
			 Thames Valley(1) 5 0 0 5 10 
			 West Mercia 8 0 0 5 13 
			 West Midlands 10 0 1 13 24 
			 West Yorkshire 32 5 3 20 60 
			 Wiltshire 0 0 0 2 2 
			 Total 326 28 26 239 619 
			 (1 )Denotes original trial force (including data from April 2003).   Note: Only the highest level of "use" during each incident is recorded (multiple uses during the same incident are only recorded once on this table).

Police: Yorkshire and Humberside

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) crimes were reported to the police,  (b) police officers were deployed and  (c) police support staff were deployed in each of the police areas in North Yorkshire in 2006.

Tony McNulty: The available information relates to the number of offences recorded in each Basic Command Unit in North Yorkshire in 2005-06 and is given in the following table.
	Information on the number of officers deployed is not available centrally.
	
		
			  Offences recorded by the police in North Yorkshire ,  2005-06 
			  Basic Command Unit  Number of offences 
			 North Yorkshire Central 28,941 
			 North Yorkshire Eastern 16,740 
			 North Yorkshire Western 13,388 
			 Total 59,069

Theft: Bicycles

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many bicycle thefts were recorded in  (a) England and Wales and  (b) London in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: The available data are given in the following table. The data relate to offences of theft of a pedal cycle recorded by the police in the London Region and in England and Wales as a whole. Statistics for Scotland and Northern Ireland are a matter for the respective Secretaries of State.
	
		
			  Offences of theft of a pedal cycle recorded by the police 
			  Number of offences 
			   2001-02 ( 1) 2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 London Region (2) 14,674 16,239 19,616 19,636 21,574 
			 England and Wales 102,713 97,755 105,467 106,064 113,206 
			 (1) British Transport police data has been included in the England and Wales totals from 2002-03. (2) includes the Metropolitan police and the City of London.

Work Permits

Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2007 to question 144097, on work permits, how many work permits in total were issued in each year since 2000 for overseas nationals from  (a) Africa,  (b) Asia,  (c) South America and  (d) the Caribbean.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 28 June 2007
	The following table shows the number of work permit applications which were approved for overseas nationals, in the period 1 January 2000 to 31 May 2007 from  (a) Africa,  (b) Asia  (c) South America and  (d) the Caribbean.
	
		
			   2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007( 1) 
			 Africa 13,430 22,370 27,770 25,520 24,915 20,910 18,290 6,305 
			 Asia 38,340 56,165 66,285 75,825 93,865 81,330 89,340 36,085 
			 South America 1,480 1,925 2,640 2,755 3,400 3,455 4,025 1,910 
			 Caribbean 2,240 2,830 2,885 2,900 2,690 2,625 2,480 905 
			 (1) January to May  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to nearest five. 2. Because of rounding, figures may not add up to totals shown. The figures quoted are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.

Written Questions

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when she expects to reply to Question  (a) 125557 and  (b) 125547, tabled on 1 March 2007, on English classes for asylum seekers;
	(2)  when she expects to answer Questions  (a) 125547 and  (b) 125557, on English classes for asylum seekers, tabled by the hon. Member for Manchester, Withington for answer on 5 March 2007.

Liam Byrne: I replied to the hon. Member as follows:
	 (a) 125557 on 27 June 2007,  Official Report, column 758W and
	 (b) 125547 on 20 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1943W.

Written Questions

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to answer Question 125719 on the IPPR tabled by the hon. Member for North East Hertfordshire on 1 May 2007 for answer on 5 May.

Liam Byrne: I replied to the hon. Member on 27 June,  Official Report, column 759W.

Written Questions

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to make a substantive reply to Question  (a) 138530 and  (b) 138531, on asylum cases, tabled by the hon. Member for Aylesbury on 16 May for named day answer on 23 May.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 25 June 2007
	I replied to the hon. Member on 27 June 2007,  Official Report, column 757W.

TREASURY

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many deaths there were with an alcohol-related underlying cause in  (a) the north east, broken down by local authority area and  (b) the UK, broken down by (i) region and (ii) country, in (A) 2004, (B) 2005 and (C) 2006; and what the death rate per head of population from alcohol-related causes was in each case.

Jane Kennedy: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Dennis Roberts, dated 2 July 2007:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many deaths there were with an alcohol-related underlying cause in  (a) the north east, broken down by local authority area and  (b) the UK, broken down by (i) region and (ii) country, in (A) 2004, (B) 2005 and (C) 2006; and what the death rate per head of population from alcohol-related causes was in each case. I am replying in her absence. (146224)
	The attached table provides the number of deaths with an alcohol-related underlying cause, with the corresponding age-standardised mortality rate(1), for  (a) the north east, by local authority, and  (b) the UK, by (i) region and (ii) country, for 2004 and 2005 (the latest year available).
	(1) Age-standardised rates are used to allow comparison between populations which may contain different proportions of people of different ages.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of deaths with an alcohol-related underlying cause of death( 1) , and corresponding age-standardised mortality rates( 2) , UK and constituent countries( 3) , Government Office Regions, and local authorities in the North East Government Office Region( 4) , 2004 and 2005( 5) 
			   Deaths (persons), r ate per 100,000 population 
			   2004  2005 
			   Number  Rate  Number  Rate 
			 UK 8,221 12.8 8,386 12.9 
			 England 6,036 11.2 6,191 11.4 
			 Wales 416 12.8 407 12.1 
			 Scotland 1,478 26.4 1,513 26.7 
			 Northern Ireland 255 15.4 246 14.6 
			  
			  Government Office Regions 
			 North East 426 15.5 402 14.5 
			 North West 1,166 16.0 1,173 16.1 
			 Yorkshire and The Number 615 11.4 643 11.7 
			 East Midlands 482 10.2 506 10.5 
			 West Midlands 743 13.0 776 13.6 
			 East of England 485 7.7 492 7.9 
			 London 758 11.4 744 11.1 
			 South East 832 9.2 874 9.5 
			 South West 529 8.9 581 9.8 
			  
			  Local authorities 
			 Darlington UA 19 18.6 13 11.8 
			 Hartlepool UA 18 18.6 15 14.8 
			 Middlesbrough UA 25 18.1 20 14.6 
			 Redcar and Cleveland UA 18 10.7 22 15.0 
			 Stockton-on-Tees UA 22 11.1 28 14.2 
			 Chester-le-Street 8 * 6 * 
			 Derwentside 13 14.4 19 19.1 
			 Durham 7 * 14 14.2 
			 Easington 19 20.9 24 23.1 
			 Sedgefield 9 * 6 * 
			 Teesdale 1 * 2 * 
			 Wear Valley 3 * 5 * 
			 Alnwick 4 * 3 * 
			 Berwick-upon-Tweed 4 * 3 * 
			 Blyth Valley 16 18.2 11 11.4 
			 Castle Morpeth 6 * 5 * 
			 Tynedale 4 * 3 * 
			 Wansbeck 9 * 7 * 
			 Gateshead 38 18.0 37 17.2 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 70 28.0 55 21.6 
			 North Tyneside 44 21.0 36 17.5 
			 South Tyneside 32 19.2 22 13.0 
			 Sunderland 37 12.4 46 15.3 
			 (1) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). The specific causes of death categorised as alcohol-related, and their corresponding ICD-10 codes, are shown in the box below.  (2) Age-standardised mortality rates per 100,000 population, standardised to the European Standard Population. Age-standardised rates are used to allow comparison between populations which may contain different proportions of people of different ages. To avoid reporting potentially misleading results, rates have not been calculated for areas with less than 10 deaths (marked with an asterisk*).  (3) Figures for the UK include deaths of non-residents, whereas figures for sub-national areas exclude non-residents. Therefore, the number of deaths reported in the UK is greater than the sum of the numbers in its constituent areas.  (4) Based on boundaries as of 2007.  (5) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. 
		
	
	
		
			  Box 1. Alcohol-related causes of death—International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) 
			  Cause of death  ICD-10 code(s) 
			 Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol F10 
			 Degeneration of nervous system due to alcohol G31.2 
			 Alcoholic polyneuropathy G62.1 
			 Alcoholic cardiomyopathy I42.6 
			 Alcoholic gastritis K29.2 
			 Alcoholic liver disease K70 
			 Chronic hepatitis, not elsewhere classified K73 
			 Fibrosis and cirrhosis of liver (excl. Biliary cirrhosis) K74 (excl. K74.3-K74.5) 
			 Alcohol induced chronic pancreatitis K86.0 
			 Accidental poisoning by and exposure to alcohol X45 
			 Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to alcohol X65 
			 Poisoning by and exposure to alcohol, undetermined intent Y15

Defence: Finance

Mark Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to paragraph 5.32 of Consolidated Budgeting Guidance 2007-08, what  (a) arrangements for the control of non-cash to near-cash switches and  (b) definition of near cash he has agreed with the Ministry of Defence.

Andy Burnham: As set out in the 2007-08 Consolidated Budgeting Guidance paragraphs 5.14-5.20 the Treasury will allow switches between non-cash to near cash to incentivise greater management of departmental asset bases. In light of the size of MOD'S asset base and the potential fiscal implications of such switches, HM Treasury has agreed with MOD an upper limit for non-cash to near cash switches. These switches are reflected through the parliamentary supply estimates process.
	The MOD's definition of near cash resource is identical to that of other Government Departments, with the exception of the treatment of non-nuclear provisions, which sit outside the MOD's departmental expenditure limits.

Departments: Consultants

Michael Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on  (a) management consultants and  (b) other external consultants and advisers in each year since 2000; and which of these consultants undertook work for the Department with a total contractual value in excess of £10 million over this period.

Angela Eagle: The Treasury's spending on consultancy is published in table 7.4 on page 91 of the Annual Report and Accounts 2006-07, available from
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/A/2/annua_report07.pdf.
	Since 2002-03, there have been no consultancy contracts with a value over £10 million. Information going back to the date of establishment of the Treasury could be provided at disproportionate cost only.

Departments: Credit Cards

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many  (a) corporate charge and  (b) corporate credit cards were lost in each year since 2001-02 in his Department;
	(2)  how many  (a) corporate charge and  (b) corporate credit cards have not been recorded as returned to his Department by staff who have left;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the value of fraudulent transactions on his Department's  (a) corporate charge and  (b) corporate credit cards in each financial year since 2001-02;
	(4)  what the value is of  (a) corporate charge and  (b) corporate credit card outgoings in 2006-07 for which claim forms have not yet been received from staff;
	(5)  pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1496W, on Departments: credit cards, how much was spent via corporate charge cards by staff in his Department in each year since 1997.

Angela Eagle: HM Treasury issues cards for the purchase of official travel and subsistence services. Total spending on these cards in the past four years was:
	
		
			   Amount (£) 
			 2003-04 182,075.04 
			 2004-05 222,274.69 
			 2005-06 273,722.74 
			 2006-07 229,042.29 
		
	
	Information on late claims, stolen and lost cards is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Pay

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many non-pensionable bonuses were awarded to members of staff in his Department in the last three years; and at what total cost.

Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 20 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1881W. All bonuses paid are non-pensionable.

Departments: Performance Appraisal

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff in his Department did not achieve an acceptable mark in their annual report in 2006-07.

Angela Eagle: The Treasury's relative appraisal system does not include an "unacceptable" ranking. Poor performance is dealt with on a case-by-case basis by the line manager of the individual concerned.

Departments: Public Expenditure

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's Consolidated Budgeting Guidance for each financial year since 1999-2000.

Andy Burnham: The Consolidated Budgeting Guidance is only reissued when there have been changes to the budgetary framework, so copies do not exist for every financial year. I have arranged for copies of all existing versions of the guidance to be placed in the Library.

Departments: Recruitment

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1498W, on Departments: recruitment, what payments have been made from the public purse to each of these recruitment agencies since 1997.

Angela Eagle: For total spending on temporary staff, supplied by those agencies, I refer to the answer given to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 25 January 2007,  Official Report, column 1985W. The amounts paid to each agency since 1997 (including recruitment fees) could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Sick Leave

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of sick leave taken by staff in his Department was stress-related in each of the last three years.

Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to the hon. Member for Upper Bann (David Simpson) on 27 June 2007,  Official Report, column 754W.

Immigration

Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what change there has been in  (a) the proportion of immigrants arriving in the UK from the European Union since 1 May 2003 and  (b) the countries of origin of those immigrants.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Dennis Roberts, dated 2 July 2007:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning (a) the proportion of immigrants arriving from the European Union since 1st May 2003 and (b) the countries of origin of those immigrants. 1 am replying in her absence. (146104)
	The requested information is only available for calendar years by country of last residence. The latest figures are for 2005.
	Estimates for the European Union as a whole are routinely published based on Total International Migration, the most comprehensive measure of international migration into the UK. Figures requested are given in Table 1. Estimates by individual EU country of last residence are only available using International Passenger Survey (IPS) data. These figures are given in Table 2.
	
		
			  Table 1: Total international migration( 1)  to the UK by country of last residence( 2) , 2003 to 2005: United Kingdom 
			  Thousands 
			   All countries  European Union 15( 3)  European Union A8( 3)  European Union 25( 3)  Non-EU( 4) 
			Estimate  Percentage of all migrants  Estimate  Percentage of all migrants  Estimate  Percentage of all migrants  Estimate  Percentage of total 
			  Inflow  
			 2003 513 101 20 (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— 411 80 
			 2004 582 83 14 53 9 139 24 443 76 
			 2005 565 95 17 81 14 180 32 385 68 
			 (1 )Estimates of total international migration (TIM) are compiled using the following sources of migration data: International Passenger Survey (IPS) data on migrants and visitors; Home Office data on asylum seekers and their dependants; and estimates of migration between the UK and the Irish Republic from the Irish Central Statistics Office. An international migrant is defined as someone who changes their country of residence for at least a year so that the country of destination effectively becomes the country of usual residence. (2 )Estimates by country of last residence can include migrants of any citizenship. Therefore British citizens previously resident in another EU country and returning to the UK will be included in these estimates. (3 )For 2003, EU estimates are shown only for the EU15 (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, the Irish Republic, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden). From 2004, the estimates are also shown for A8 (the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia) and the EU25 (i.e. the EU15 and A8 groups, plus Malta and Cyprus), These splits are necessary because TIM estimates are not available for the post accession groupings before 2004. (4 )For 2003, non-EU includes all the countries that acceded to the EU on 1 May 2004. (5 )Not applicable.  Source:  International Migration MN No.32, 2005, Table 2.2 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: migration to the UK from the EU by country of last residence( 1) , 2003 to 2005 (IPS only( 2) ): United Kingdom 
			  Thousands 
			  Country of last residence  2003( 3)  2004( 3)  2005( 3) 
			 France 27 15 13 
			 Germany 15 16 27 
			 Spain 15 13 14 
			 Poland (4)— 17 52 
			 Other EU 35 66 54 
			 Total EU(3) 92 127 159 
			 (1) Estimates by country of last residence can include migrants of any citizenship. In particular, British citizens previously resident in another EU country and returning to the UK will be included in these estimates. (2 )The International Passenger Survey (IPS) excludes most asylum seekers, flows between the UK and the Irish Republic, and adjustments for 'switchers' (i.e. people whose migration intentions are not realised). (3 )For 2003, total EU figures are for EU15 and for 2004 and 2005 are for EU25. (4 )Not applicable  Source:  International Passenger Survey

Landfill Tax

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was raised by the landfill tax in each of the last 10 years for which records exist; and how much was  (a) allocated in grants and  (b) disbursed.

Angela Eagle: Annual UK landfill tax receipts for 1997-98 to 2005-06, and a provisional figure for 2006-07 are published by HM Revenue and Customs at:
	http://www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=Bulletins
	in the landfill tax bulletin.
	Initially, landfill tax revenues were used to fund a 0.2 percentage point reduction in the main rate of employers' national insurance contributions. Since 2005, the Government have recycled landfill tax escalator revenues to business and local government. In England, the business resources efficiency and waste (BREW) programme is worth £284 million over three years. In addition, the Government take account of the impacts of landfill tax when allocating local government funding. In the 2004 spending review (which takes us through to 2007-08) the revenues from the landfill tax escalator were recycled back to local councils via revenue support grant. Decisions for the future will be taken in the context of this year's comprehensive spending review.

Landfill Tax

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue collected under the landfill tax was  (a) allocated and  (b) disbursed to local authorities in each of the last 10 years for which records exist.

Angela Eagle: The Government takes account of the impacts of landfill tax when allocating local government funding. In the 2004 Spending Review (which takes us through to 2007-08) the revenues from the landfill tax escalator were recycled back to local councils via Revenue Support Grant. Decisions for the future will be taken in the context of this year's Comprehensive Spending Review.
	The net current expenditure on waste collection and disposal by local authorities in each year for which figures are available since 1997 is shown in the following table (source: local authority Revenue Outturn returns).
	
		
			   Net current expenditure on waste collection and disposal (£000) 
			 1998-99 1,281,919 
			 1999-2000 1,423,278 
			 2000-01 1,521,338 
			 2001-02 1,653,856 
			 2002-03 1,806,684 
			 2003-04 2,004,139 
			 2004-05 2,190,937 
			 2005-06 2,442,267

Local Government

Keith Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what his policy is on the number of unitary authority proposals implemented on the basis of the local government review;
	(2)  whether his officials have assessed the costings put forward in the unitary council bids under review by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Angela Eagle: All 16 unitary proposals that were subject to stakeholder consultation will be reassessed against the five criteria set out when local authorities were originally invited to submit their proposals in October 2006, having regard to all the information available including that received in response to the consultation. Decisions as to which proposals will proceed towards implementation will reflect the collective decision of Government.

National Income

Michael Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the share was of  (a) wages and  (b) profits of national income in each year since 1979.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 2 July 2007:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question requesting the share of  (a) wages and  (b) profits of national income, in each year since 1979. I am replying in her absence. (146780)
	Please see table A, which provides the latest figures for wages and salaries and the gross trading profits of the corporate sector and their share as a percentage of gross national income for all years since 1979.
	
		
			  Table A 
			   GNI at market prices  Wages and Salaries  Gross trading profits of corporate sector  Wages and salaries as a % of GNI  Gross trading profits as a % of GNI 
			 1979 196,181 100,607 40,595 51.28 20.69 
			 1980 228,055 119,267 40,943 52.30 17.95 
			 1981 250,912 128,152 43,173 51.07 17.21 
			 1982 274,261 136,614 49,874 49.81 18.18 
			 1983 301,840 146,220 59,811 48.44 19.82 
			 1984 324,597 156,753 63,320 48.29 19.51 
			 1985 352,563 171,126 70,405 48.54 19.97 
			 1986 381,383 184,703 69,788 48.43 18.30 
			 1987 418,585 199,932 82,777 47.76 19.78 
			 1988 468,351 223,673 93,475 47.76 19.96 
			 1989 512,116 250,198 99,658 48.86 19.46 
			 1990 552,770 276,633 99,085 50.04 17.93 
			 1991 582,920 293,009 90,964 50.27 15.60 
			 1992 610,651 302,890 92,809 49.60 15.20 
			 1993 640,799 310,513 107,985 48.46 16.85 
			 1994 684,352 321,850 126,210 47.03 18.44 
			 1995 720,317 336,586 135,535 46.73 18.82 
			 1996 766,606 351,229 149,538 45.82 19.51 
			 1997 816,484 374,427 157,741 45.86 19.32 
			 1998 874,620 406,558 154,664 46.48 17.68 
			 1999 910,115 431,594 156,753 47.42 17.22 
			 2000 959,708 462,355 155,821 48.18 16,24 
			 2001 1,011,623 490,978 151,665 48.53 14.99 
			 2002 1,076,865 508,614 171,637 47.23 15.94 
			 2003 1,140,887 527,630 190,069 46.25 16.66 
			 2004 1,209,844 550,583 209,799 45.51 17.34 
			 2005 1,258,722 578,862 209,269 45.99 16.63 
			 2006 1,316,956 606,560 221,543 46.06 16.82 
		
	
	These figures are based on data published on 29 June 2007.

Navy: Military Bases

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on his commitment to move civil service jobs out of the South East, with particular reference to the Naval Base Review.

Andy Burnham: The Chancellor regularly has meetings and discussions with Cabinet colleagues including the Secretary of State for Defence, and discusses a wide range of issues. As was the practice of previous Administrations, the Government do not disclose details of all such discussions.

Olympic Games

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what contribution his Department's  (a) devolved countries and regions team and  (b) education, training and culture team made to discussions on the proposed logo for the 2012 Olympics before its approval.

Angela Eagle: The development and approval of the brand was the responsibility of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

Public Sector: Standards

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list all the current public service agreement targets.

Angela Eagle: I refer my right hon. Friend to the command paper '2004 Spending Review: Public Service Agreements 2005-2008' (Cm 6238) which lists the public service agreements and targets for the current spending period.
	The HM Treasury public spending performance website also includes links to the technical notes for each PSA:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/documents/public_spending_reporting/public_service_performance/psr_performance_efficiency_supporting_documents.cfm.

Transport: Expenditure

Graham Stringer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the overall annual level of public expenditure on transport per head of population was in  (a) each of the English regions,  (b) Northern Ireland,  (c) Scotland,  (d) Wales and  (e) London in each of the last five years.

Andy Burnham: Information on total identifiable expenditure per capita on transport for each region and country of the UK is set out in Table 9.11 of HM Treasury's publication, 'Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2007 (Cm7091)', published in May 2007. This provides outturn data from 2001-02 to 2005-06 and planned expenditure for 2006-07.

Unitary Councils

Keith Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on local authorities seeking unitary status which appeared on the shortlist published by the Department for Communities and Local Government on 27 March 2006.

Angela Eagle: The decision as to which proposals should proceed to stakeholder consultation reflected the collective decision of Government.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Working Carers

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to assess the levels of support available for working carers.

Anne McGuire: The Government fully recognise the vital role which all carers undertake. Through our National Carer's Strategy, we have made substantial improvements in the support we give to carers, both financial and practical, and we are continually looking at ways to further improve the support available.

Unemployment Trends

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of trends in levels of unemployment since the end of 1997.

Peter Hain: As a result of our stable economy and successful labour market policies, unemployment is down and employment is up compared to 10 years ago.
	Since 1997 claimant unemployment has fallen by 739,000; in the last year it has fallen by 71,500; and in the last month it has fallen by 9,300—a continuing trend of success.

Worklessness: London

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to tackle worklessness in London.

James Plaskitt: The numbers of people on out of work benefits in London has fallen by over 125,000 since 1997, and continues to fall. However, London poses one of our biggest challenges in achieving our long-term aim of an 80 per cent. employment rate.
	Initiatives like the City Strategy, the Deprived Areas Fund and higher levels of financial support in London now available through the lone parent In-Work Credit, will help us in supporting more Londoners back to work.

Inactive Benefits

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are receiving inactive benefits; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Latest figures indicate that around 3.7 million people are in receipt of inactive benefits and that at 21.3 per cent. the economic inactivity rate is close to its lowest since 1992.
	Since 1997, the number of lone parents claiming benefits has fallen by 238,000 and new claims for incapacity benefits are down by a third. The number of people on incapacity benefits is at the lowest level in over seven years.
	We are determined to build on this success, and the measures set out in our Welfare Reform Act will help us to do that.

Employers' Contributions

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to enforce the automatic enrolment of employers and making appropriate contributions by employers in respect of personal accounts; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The Government propose a three-stage compliance strategy. We will educate employers and employees about their new rights and responsibilities. We will engage with employers, enabling them to comply. Where necessary, we will take proportionate enforcement action, through a graduated approach with increasing penalties.
	We are continuing to work with the relevant stakeholders in developing our enforcement strategy further.

Youth Unemployment

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on youth unemployment.

Peter Hain: Since 1997, unemployment for 18 to 24-year-olds has fallen by 35 per cent. and long-term youth unemployment has fallen by 70 per cent.
	This success has been made possible by active labour market policies, such as the New Deal for Young People, combined with unprecedented stability and growth in the economy.

Disability Benefits

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he has introduced to reduce complexity in the assessment process for disability benefits.

Anne McGuire: We are aware of the importance of making the benefits system as easy and straightforward as possible for disabled people to use.
	The introduction of the new Employment and Support Allowance will make the system easier for people to understand and will smooth the administration process.

Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what target will be set for the time taken to secure an assessment under the new Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The Secretary of State will set high level performance targets for the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.

Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what restrictions there will be on  (a) deduction orders and  (b) lump sum deduction orders under the new Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.

James Plaskitt: Deduction orders will only be used if a person has failed to pay their statutory maintenance liabilities. They will not be applied to joint accounts or business accounts and may not directly cause a person's account to become overdrawn.
	With current account deduction orders the Commission will require the deposit taker to deduct a regular amount from a non-resident parent's account to recover ongoing statutory maintenance liabilities and/or arrears. The amount will be based on the non-resident parent's gross earnings and a proportion of those earnings, to be specified in regulations, will be protected. These orders will not normally be used in a case where a deduction from earnings order can be imposed and non-resident parents will be encouraged to convert the deduction into a direct debit or other means of payment which they find more convenient.
	Lump sum deduction orders will only be used to recover arrears.

Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish the Department's latest forecast of the  (a) winners and  (b) losers under the new maintenance formula which will be used by the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, compared with the existing formula, broken down by (i) family size and (ii) income; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: With the increased focus on voluntary arrangements and the ending of the requirement that parents with care on benefit be treated as applying for child maintenance, not all of the current Child Support Agency case load will choose to use the statutory maintenance service. Since we do not know the precise composition of the resulting case load, it is not possible to estimate the average level of maintenance liabilities that will arise.
	Figures on the amounts paid under the second child support scheme and statutory maintenance arrangements under different income levels and for different family sizes can be found in table 2, page 19 of the regulatory impact assessment which accompanied the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill.

Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission: Debt Collection

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make use of the key objectives of the new Child Maintenance Enforcement Commission on the recovery of existing maintenance arrears; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission would have to have regard to its objectives in the exercise of its functions. In line with this, the Commission will, when appropriate, seek to secure compliance with existing statutory maintenance arrangements, including recovery of existing maintenance arrears. The Commission will have at its disposal the new debt and enforcement powers contained in the Bill.

Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill: Curfews

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many curfew orders he estimates will be used each year under the powers in the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill.

James Plaskitt: The numbers will depend on a range of factors, including the effectiveness of other enforcement powers.

Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill: Finance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will provide an estimate of the expected reduction in annual administration costs as a consequence of the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill, broken down by main budget heading; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The overall impact over the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill can be found in the Regulatory Impact Assessment. The estimated effect on annual administration costs of the statutory maintenance service can be found on page 34, paragraph 116.

Child Support Agency: Debt Collection

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much Child Support Agency maintenance arrears are expected to be collected in each quarter between June 2007 to June 2012; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: This information is not available.

Child Support Agency: Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the costs of setting a Child Support Agency maintenance disregard for those on benefits of up to  (a) £10,  (b) £20,  (c) £30,  (d) £40,  (e) £50 and  (f) £100 per week; and what estimate he has made of the effects on child poverty in each case.

James Plaskitt: The number of children lifted out of poverty and cost of increasing the levels of the child maintenance disregard in income support, jobseeker's allowance, housing benefit and council tax benefit are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Level of disregard  Number of children lifted out of poverty  Cost in extra benefit expenditure (£ million) 
			 £20 n/a 50 
			 £30 30,000-40,000 100 
			 £40 40,000-50,000 140 
			 £50 50,000-60,000 170 
			 £100 50,000-70,000 200 
			 n/a = Not available.  Notes: 1. Number of children lifted out of poverty is defined here as the number of children in households lifted above 60 per cent. of equivalised median household income before housing costs by increasing the level of the disregard. 2. Estimates provided are indicative and should only be used to give some idea of scale, since there is uncertainty over future distributions of earnings and maintenance receipts, and figures are sensitive to the assumptions used and drawn from a sample of data. 3. Figures for the number of children lifted out of poverty by a £20 disregard are not available due to a small sample size. 4. Poverty figures are based on analysis of 2004-05 Family Resources Survey and are rounded to the nearest 10,000. 5. Costs are calculated to the nearest £10 million and are based upon a combination of DWP administrative and survey data. 6. Figures are for the extra number of children lifted out of poverty and extra costs compared to a position where there is a £10 disregard in income support and a £25 disregard in housing benefit and council tax benefit.

Children: Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the impact on child maintenance payments of new powers in respect of  (a) curfews and  (b) passport withdrawal; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The disqualification from holding or obtaining travel authorisation and the use of curfew orders are part of a package of changes to the child maintenance enforcement model.
	In the case of travel authorisation, giving the power to impose these measures directly to the Commission greatly strengthens their hand in dealing with the non-resident parent. There is more immediacy than a threat of court action. It is envisaged that this threat of imminent action will be significantly more effective in securing compliance.
	Curfew orders will serve as an effective alternative to committal; it is expected to create a strong incentive to pay without impeding the non-resident parent's ability to do so by causing him or her to lose his or her job.

Children: Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the impact on poverty levels of non-resident parents on benefits of setting a £7 minimum child maintenance deduction from benefits; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: It is not possible to accurately model the effect of increasing the £5 flat rate payment to £7 on the number of non-resident parents in poverty. This is because we cannot identify with certainty which non- resident parents are currently paying flat rate maintenance from the survey we use to measure poverty, the family resources survey.

Children: Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the evidential basis is for the Department's view that, for child maintenance collection, historic tax income information is close enough to the current financial position of most non-resident parents at the time to be an acceptable and robust basis for assessment.

James Plaskitt: Our analysis showed that two thirds of non-resident parents subject to the 2003 CSA scheme would have a liability within £10 of that assessment if it were based on HMRC gross income data.

Children: Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to introduce a general anti-avoidance rule in respect of payments of child maintenance by a non-resident parent.

James Plaskitt: We are continuing to look at ways to ensure non-resident parents meet their financial responsibilities to their children. Under the proposed scheme, we will use income information held by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs to ensure non-resident parents cannot delay in providing income information, and deploy the full range of enforcement powers available to the Commission to prevent the non-resident parents avoiding paying the maintenance they owe.

Children: Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of Child Support Agency cases involve use of a deduction of earnings order; and what change he expects in this proportion under the new Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.

James Plaskitt: As of March 2007, around 21 per cent. of the Child Support Agency's caseload where the payment method has been decided had a deduction from earnings order or request in place.
	The intention is for the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission to run a pilot in order to establish whether using deduction from earnings orders as a basic method of collecting child maintenance will increase compliance. It will then decide on whether to proceed with a full roll out. I am therefore unable to provide an estimate of the expected change in this proportion under the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.

Pensions: Family Credit

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what effect past receipt of family credit has on entitlement to pensions under the state earnings-related pension scheme; by what means information about such receipt is transferred from his Department's computer records to those of HM Revenue and Customs; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: A person entitled to family credit between 1995-96 and 2001-02 built up entitlement to the state earnings-related pension (SERPS) based on their family credit award provided they reached or are due to reach state pension age after 5 April 1999.
	Prior to October 1999 information on family credit awards was transferred to the then Inland Revenue Department electronically or in exceptional cases clerically. Inland Revenue became responsible for administering family credit in October 1999 at which point more automated processes were put in place for the transfer of information between the family credit computer system and the national insurance recording system.
	 Note:
	Family credit was replaced by working families' tax credit on 5 October 1999.

PRIME MINISTER

10 Downing Street: Manpower

Oliver Heald: To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to change the number of staff employed by 10 Downing Street.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the senior staff appointments press notice issued by my Office on 27 June. The press notice is available on the No. 10 website http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page12153.asp, and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.
	Further information on staff in my Office will be published in "Dod's Civil Service Companion" in due course.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Closures

Theresa May: To ask the Prime Minister if he will visit accident and emergency departments due to close to discuss alternative provision.

Gordon Brown: My visits will cover a range of subjects, including health.

Afghanistan: Reconstruction

Theresa May: To ask the Prime Minister what recent representations he has received from military commanders on the allocation of additional funds to the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

Gordon Brown: I have received no such representations, but I have been briefed by military commanders on the situation in Afghanistan, in particular the Southern Region and Helmand Province where the majority of UK forces are deployed. The briefing covered the progress that has been made and the challenges that remain covering security, security sector reform, and reconstruction.

Departmental Responsibilities

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister whether he has considered the recommendations of the recent report of the Public Administration Select Committee on changes to the machinery of government; and if he will make a statement.

Gordon Brown: The Government will respond in due course.

Departments: Pay

Theresa May: To ask the Prime Minister how many bonuses were awarded to senior civil servants working in his Office in each year between 1997 and 2006; and at what total cost.

Gordon Brown: For these purposes my Office forms part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office today.

Ministerial Policy Advisors

Oliver Heald: To ask the Prime Minister who his new special advisers are.

Gordon Brown: Since 2003, the Government have published on an annual basis the names and overall cost of special advisers and the number in each payband. The information requested will be published in the normal way in due course.